The Bow
by Morrosseth
Summary: Chester’s proud of his new bow. The one he has created with his two hands. But good things don’t last too long…


**The Bow**

Genre: General

Pairings: None

Warnings: None

Rating: K

Disclaimer: Tales of Phantasia © Namco

Summary: Chester's proud of his new bow. The one he has created with his two hands. But good things don't last too long…

**Author's Note**: For a friend to whom I have wronged. I can't only plead forgiveness, and do nothing else. May it be that our friendship endures.

* * *

"See Cless? I made this all by myself!" Small six year old hands grasped a short bow made of flexible birch wood. His friend, a swordsman in training could stare at it in amazement. 

"That's cool…" He said, not trusting his voice to say anything else. At the young age of six, both boys had been about the same height, with Cless being slightly taller. He could still lean over to peer at Chester newly made bow. His hands went from the hilt of his wooden training sword towards the bow. "Chester, can I touch it?"

The other boy shrunk back. "Don't touch it Cless. I spent hours making this! I had to find out how in those musty books in Dad's attic and then find materials for this!" The short bow was clutched tightly to his chest.

"Onii-chan!" A small voice called from upstairs. It sounded feminine, and rather squeaky. "Dad wants to see you!" Chester groaned and places the treasure onto the wooden table top. "Cless don't touch!" He commanded with as much authority as a six year old could muster. Cless only nodded dumbly. He'd be perfectly content just looking at it. After all, he couldn't even use a bow.

While his friend ran up the stairs with an audible _thump de thump_, Cless sat in a chair beside the table, resting his chin on the glossed table top. "Doesn't look like it took so long…" He mumbled, eye lids drooping down in boredom. The violet-blue eyes flickered from one point of the bow then to the opposite point. "What's this…?" He whispered, finding a jagged bump where as there rest of the bow was completely smooth.

A smile curled up his lips as an idea, and a way to pass time, came to mind. 'I'll fix it for Chester! He'll be happy then!' He thought with childish glee. There was no chisel around, but he found a skinning knife like the one he'd seen his own father use so many times before. He removed the blade from its sheath and placed it at the base of the dark bump. To his dismay, it didn't slide under the bump as easily as he'd seen Chester's dad do it… So he applied more pressure to the knife.

It just so happened that the dark bump was a gnarl in the wood before it had it had been shaped. Chester knew this from the book. Cless didn't. When the blade started sliding in, Cless smiled. But it soon came to a halt when it reached the core of the bump. He could hear the steady _thump de thump_ of Chester coming back down the stairs already. He tried to jerk the blade out but it appeared to be stuck. When at last he gave it a mighty tug, the blade came loose. But the bow snapped in two from the force.

"Cless!"

The said swordsman in training turned around, and his eyes met the furious, though sad, gaze of Chester Barklight. "I told you not to touch!" The same furious eyes now melted and began to water thought he tried to blink them back.

"Chester I—"

"You what? You're my friend! You're supposed to listen when I ask you to!"

"I just wanted to make you happy…"

"Well you didn't!" Chester hissed, small hands reaching up onto the table top and reached for the broken pieces of the bow. He didn't try to hold back tears when the two pieces of wood was clenched tight in his hands.

"Chester, I'm sorry… I don't know what to do now. What can I do but say sorry…?" Cless pleaded desperately.

"Get out then! See if I care! You're not my friend anymore!" The blue haired boy was mad now. Cless knew that and winced. "Oh… Okay…. Bye Chester." He mumbled, running out of the house before Chester could see him cry. He ignored Amy's good byes from the door step.

At the moment, Cless didn't particularly care where he was running. Tears blurred his visions and made tone tree look like two. Five of them looked like twenty. Unknown to him, he was heading further and further south, until he exited Totus and into the Mystic Forest. Only by the Spirit's grace did he make it to the withered tree of Yggdrasill without any monster encounters.

But once there, he hugged the tree tightly, sobbing against the rough bark. He thought he'd seen something green. But the tree was dead already.

"Cless…" A voice spoke, as if adrift on the wind. "Why do you weep...?"

"Chester doesn't like me anymore… S'all my fault…" He rubbed at his face with the black sleeve of his shirt. Whoever this stranger was, she was not going to see him blubber like a baby… But he couldn't help that either.

"How do you know he doesn't like you anymore?"

"He said so… Chester said so…"

"Is it because he was sad? Or because he meant it..."

"I… I dunno…" He mumbled, suddenly rather interested in the number of pebbles lying on the ground.

"Then maybe you should see him again."

"He told me to get out."

"But he didn't say not to return… Chester needs time to regain himself. Just as you do… Cless, you'll need to rely on Chester in the future. Don't let your friendship die because of this… Many more things shall depend on the link between you two in the future…"

"I can't go back without anything…"

The voice seemed to laugh merrily, as if chortling at Cless' childishness. "Come child. I'll teach you what I know about bow making…" As the voice said that, a raccoon dropped a well sharpened rock into his armoured lap. A branch from the withered tree dropped beside him and he found a packet of wire that might have been left behind by another traveler.

"This is what you must do…"

* * *

Sylvarant has begun its climb into the night sky, and Cless still did not return to his home. Maria began to worry, so she pulled on her cloak and jogged over to the Barklight residence. "Mr. Barklight?" She called, knocking on the door. A tall man with a familiar mess off deep grey-blue hair opened the door. "Yes?" 

"Is Cless here? He hasn't returned…"

"He hasn't? He left about four hours ago…"

"Four hours?!" Maria's eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. "Good Martel!" She sobbed, her face covered be her hands. "He's SIX! Martel protect him…Please..."

Chester watched from behind a drawer in the kitchen. He told himself not to feel guilty. He didn't even know where Cless is…

* * *

"How'd this look?" Cless asked, somewhat groggily. He would have been asleep two hours ago if he'd been at home, but instead he stayed up in the middle of nowhere making a weapon he doesn't even use… 

"It's wonderful child…"

"It doesn't look like Chester's…"

"Chester knows what a good bow looks like. He's trained to know."

"You think he'll like it?"

"Why don't we find out…? I'll bring you to your village."

"Thanks… Miss… I don't know your name. How can I thank you?"

"Make up with your friend. Promise me that. Protect him…"

"…Name…" Cless found him self asking as sleep caught up with him.

The voice chuckled again. "My name is… Martel. My name is Martel, child…"

"Martel's…A pretty name." Cless mumbled, before sleep took over his being.

* * *

Sylvarant and Tethe'alla left the sky as the sun returned to claim his throne. A small group of four was gathered by the gate to search for Maria's missing son. They didn't get too far though. As soon as the reached the southern gate, in the direction the inn owner had claim to see him run, they found the crumpled form of Cless laying at the entrance. To their surprise, Cless was only asleep, not dead. And he was holding the strangest thing they have ever seen. It resembled a bow, but the tips curved back slightly, and the wood wasn't as smooth as it should have been. It looked as if it was caved by a wobbly hand. 

"Thank you Martel… Thank you…" Maria gasped, hugging the small body to her chest. A flock of sparrows flew into the sky where the withered tree stood.

* * *

"Hullo Cless…" Chester mumbled, opening the wooden door to the boy's room. It was littered with random bottles and what looked like the wrappers of old gels. The only orderly part of the room was a rock where his armour and training swords were kept… 

"'Ullo Chester." Cless sniffed, sipping on a mug of hot tea.

"I heard you got sick again."

"That and I'm grounded. But it doesn't matter. Can't go anywhere sick anyway."

"Ah." Chester muttered, walking to his bed side. "Amy asked me to bring this to you but she couldn't come." He handed Cless an apple. Cless smiled.

"Chester… There's a bundle on my table. The wrapped up one." He directed, pointing to a neatly wrapped parcel at the far side of the room. Chester reached over and grabbed it, removing it of the brown paper. His breath choked when he saw what lay inside. "Cless… You didn't have to…" He whispered, looking up.

"I broke the first one. So I made you another. I'm sorry if it doesn't look that good… But—"

Chester stopped him. "I like it." He said, hugging his friend. Cless grinned, but his eyes watered again. "Chester…" He mumbled, burying his face into the loose blue tunic the little archer always wore. The soft heaving on his chest was a great contrast to the other's stone stillness…

"Thanks."

* * *

End.

* * *

**Omake**

"Cless."

"Yeah?"

"We'll be together forever right?"

"Of course."

The two were in identical beds side by side. Apparently, despite the boost he gave to Cless' morale, visiting the boy when he was ill wasn't exactly the best thing to do. When they both sneezed at the same time. They could do nothing but laugh.


End file.
